To Be a Family
by catchmeinwonderland
Summary: Avery wasn't Brianna's foster mom, she was her older sister. When Brianna and Avery got in their car accident, they were on their way to pick up their other sister Olivia from her job at the local dance studio. Join Brianna and Olivia as they journey into the hearts of the San Antonio Memorial night shift as well as discover what it means to be a family.
1. Dr Drew

**UGH Okay, so I really shouldn't be starting a new story right now, but these plot bunnies won't get out of my head. This is a little AU to begin with, but I promise it will basically become Livvy inserting herself into the Night Shift. Just bare with me! Thank you guys, and I hope you enjoy this!**

DR. DREW

I don't remember much, except how angry I was at my sister for being so late to pick me up from my shift at the dance studio. I hadn't been home since 6:00 that morning, and it was well past thirteen hours later when I finally closed the studio and was impatiently waiting for Avery to come get me.

My mind was racing with all of the things I needed to do that night before going to bed. Homework was number one on that list, but I also had to finish the chores around the house I had failed to do that morning and clean my room before the social worker came the next day.

Around 10:30 I opened the dance studio back up and waited inside. I was fuming. I thought Avery had forgotten about me and fell asleep. It wouldn't have been the first time. At 10:45 I called her cell from the office phone – no answer. I thought about calling my boyfriend to come give me a ride, but I didn't want to wake him up if he was sleeping. Taking care of me was not his job.

Within the next half hour, my world shifted. I heard a knock at the studio door, and quickly walked over, thinking it was Avery. It wasn't. It was my social worker, Nina.

"There's been an accident," she said. "We need to get to the hospital."

I panicked. So many bad things had happened in the past few years, I didn't know if I could handle anything else. I interrogated Nina the entire ride to the hospital, but she didn't say anything. She said that as far as she knew, both Avery and Brianna, who had apparently also been in the car, were still alive. Brianna was going to be okay, but it was touch and go with Avery.

Sometime between Nina getting the phone call, and us arriving at the hospital, my sister Avery died.

"Bri," I said, after Nina and one of the doctors gave me the news. I couldn't feel anything, but I knew I had to see Brianna. "I want to see Bri."

"Okay," Nina nodded, and the doctor took me up to see her.

She was hooked up to oxygen – and laying down in a hospital bed. She was scraped up, but nothing looked life threatening. Another doctor was sitting with her. I could hear her faintly crying.

"Hey, Bug," I whispered from the doorway, not trusting my own voice. Bri cried even harder, and tried to get off the bed, but the doctor pushed her down.

"I can come to you, buggy," I took a few short steps so I was sitting next to her on the bed. Nina waited by the door, and the doctor sat awkwardly beside us.

"She's gone, Livvy," Bri cried. I did what I could and held on to her. I couldn't say that everything would be okay, because I didn't know.

"I know," I whispered again. I didn't know what else to say.

"What's going to happen to us?" She asked, looking up at me with her big bug eyes. I sighed. Avery was our legal guardian ever since our mom died last year. Our dad had died in Iraq years earlier. Avery had kept us out of foster care, but not out of the state's watchful eye. Now, I had a feeling I knew what was going to happen, but I surely wasn't going to admit it to Brianna while she was hooked up to oxygen and in a hospital bed.

"We're going to be impossibly brave," I answered. "Just like we were when Dad died, and then with mom. We're going to put our brave faces on, and we're going to make it through this."

Brianna took a minute to compose herself, but started coughing again. I looked at the doctor in the room in panic, and he quickly pulled what looked like her inhaler out of his pocket. He encourage her with deep breaths, and I held her hand. I didn't know what had happened between them before I got here, but they clearly already established a relationship.

"Livvy?" Bri asked once she finally had her voice back.

"Yeah, bug?" I rubbed her back.

"This is Drew," Bri introduced. I smiled. Leave it to my little sister to change the subject at the drop of a hat. "He likes Narnia."

"I'm sure he does," I smirked at the doctor. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Dr. Drew."

"Please, just Drew," he held out his hand. "Your sister is a special girl."

"Us Matthews sisters are a unique breed," I teased. "It's late, Bri. You should try to get some sleep. I'll handle the rest."

"Are you gonna be Avery now?" Bri asked, hesitantly. I could tell she didn't want to upset me, but she also wasn't one to censor herself.

"I'm going to do my best," I promised. I could do that. I could promise that. "I have to talk to Nina now," I told her, pointing. "Go to bed."

Bri nodded, and laid back down. I prayed that she would get some sleep tonight, even if I wouldn't.

Dr. Drew followed me out, and instead of talking to Nina, I spoke to him first.

"How is she, really?" I asked him. He sighed.

"She's fine. Physically, she has a few scrapes and a broken wrist, but other than that…" he trailed, glancing at Nina. They were hiding something.

"What? What else is there?" I demanded.

"Tell her," Nina allowed. Dr. Drew nodded.

"There's a spot of Pneumonia on Brianna's lung," he explained. "It's not something we would usually worry about-"

"But she has Cystic Fibrosis," I interrupted. "So it's a big deal."

"It's a blessing in disguise, Liv," Nina pointed out. "It means they can admit Brianna. She has a bed, she has a way to get food, and she has people who care about her."

"But she's still sick, and she might get sicker," I argued. "How is that a good thing?"

"We're going to treat it, and we're going to treat it aggressively," Dr. Drew stepped back into the conversation. "Hopefully, we can beat this."

"Isn't this how old people die, though? They go to the hospital, get Pneumonia, and they don't make it?" My grandfather died that way, if I remembered correctly.

"Yes," Dr. Drew hesitated, "But, despite Brianna's suppressed immune system, she still has better odds than elderly patients, especially since we caught this so early."

"She'll be here, she'll be taken care of, and you can come visit whenever you want," Nina offered.

"Why can't I just stay here with her?" I argued. "She's in a private room, there are cots, I won't get in the way."

"Liv, you can't stay here," Nina sighed. "I'm sorry."

"So where are you taking me?" I had never been in foster care before. Avery had made sure of that.

"Tonight, a temporary group home. You'll still be in San Antonio, and you can get some sleep. I'll come by in the morning so we can go home and pack up some stuff for you and Bri. You can come back and visit for a little while, and then hopefully I'll have somewhere else for you to go."

"Nina," I began, taking a deep breath. "My older sister just died," It felt strange saying that out loud. "It's already almost 1:00 in the morning. Please, I'm begging you to just pull a cot in here, and let me stay with Brianna. If you want to put me in a foster home or a group home tomorrow, fine, I'll go, but please. Let me stay with her tonight," I begged. The tears started falling down my face and I couldn't stop them. Nina cared. I knew she cared. I just needed her to be human instead of my social worker.

"If you don't mind me stepping in," Dr. Drew interrupted again. "It really would be no problem. She can sleep in one of the other beds. I can come check on both of them in a few hours, and then again when my shift ends. It's not a big deal at all," he offered. I looked up at Nina with my best puppy dog eyes. She sighed in defeat.

"Fine, but I _am_ coming back in the morning," Nina warned. I nodded, relieved. "I have other cases I need to deal with tonight. Are you good here?" She asked, looking between Dr. Drew and me. I nodded.

"Thank you so much, Nina," I hugged her.

"I'm so sorry for your loss, Liv. Try to get some sleep tonight. Text me if you need anything," she whispered, quickly thanking Dr. Drew again before walking off.

"Alright, kiddo, let's get you settled in," he said, leading me quietly back into the room.

"Don't you have other patients to worry about?" I asked him quietly, not wanting to wake up Bri who was passed out and snoring.

"Probably," he shrugged, writing something down on a piece of paper.

"Why do you care? I mean, those other patients need you more than we do. We're just squatters for the night. A nurse could do all of this," I continued.

"You guys are cool," Dr. Drew smirked. "I guess I'm getting attached."

"Don't," I warned him. "Because if you get attached, then she's going to get attached. We're going to have to leave. You can't hurt her like that."

"Liv, right?" He asked, I nodded. He handed me the piece of paper. It had a number written on it. "This is my cellphone number. Call it, and I'll come running. I'm not going anywhere. You have my word."

"Pinky promise," I said before I could stop myself.

"What?" He asked, taken aback.

"If you're going to get attached to the Matthews sisters than you need to learn our language. A pinky promise is the most sacred of all promises and can never ever be broken," I explained, pushing my pinky closer to him. "If you mean what you say in that you're not going anywhere, you'll pinky promise."

"Fine," he linked his pinky with mine.

"It looks like I'll be seeing you around, Dr. Drew," I smirked. He shook his head.

"Just call me Drew, Liv," he smiled. "Seriously, call if you need anything."

"Will do," I nodded. "But you better answer."


	2. A House is not a Home

A HOUSE IS NOT A HOME

True to her word, Nina was shaking me awake at 8:00 AM the next morning.

"It's time to go, sweetie," she whispered. She looked exhausted. I ignored her and went straight to Brianna, who was still sleeping. Drew was sitting with her, just like he promised.

"Good morning," I whispered to him as I tucked a piece of hair behind Bri's ear. She was such a messy sleeper.

"Good morning," he said, shoving another spoonful of cereal in his mouth. "You know, I put the bed out for a reason."

"It was too far away," I complained. Instead of going to the bed last night, I parked myself next to Brianna in one of the chairs. Drew apparently had taken the other one. "How is she?"

"The Pneumonia's definitely getting worse, but we're still hopeful," Drew explained. I nodded.

"Livvy, sweetie, we need to go. I'm so sorry," Nina apologized again. She was a lot of things, but she wasn't heartless.

"Are you staying here?" I asked Drew. He looked hesitantly back and Nina, then at me.

"I have to go home and take care of a few things, but I promise I'll check on her again before my shift tonight."

"Thank you," I expressed to him. "I don't know when I'll be back, but please just take care of her in the meantime."

"That's my job," Drew nodded, pointing to the whiteboard. He was listed as the head of her case.

"It's your job to treat her," I pointed out. "Not to care about her."

"Well, I do," he admitted. "She's got something special about her."

"Don't I know it," I smiled. I looked over at Nina, who was getting impatient. She didn't want to pull me away from my sister, but she had a job to do.

* * *

"You need to talk to him," I said to Nina as soon as we were out of earshot.

"Maybe this is a good thing, Liv," Nina sighed. "It's not the worst thing in the world when an adult wants to help."

"It's overstepping boundaries," I pointed out. "He's not supposed to get attached to patients. Patients leave, and they never see their doctors again. He's not a foster parent. Brianna's going to get attached to him, get better, and then never see him again. She's going to get hurt."

"I've talked to him, honey. He knows the rules," Nina tried to comfort. I shook my head.

"He gave me his number," I told her.

"Then he better answer when you call," Nina shrugged. "He's a good guy, Liv. I know you don't have a lot of those in your life, but maybe you should stop planning for a bad outcome and start believing that this could be a good thing."

"I know he means well, they all do, I just…they don't know us. They think they do, but they don't. This isn't going to end well," I sighed.

"Positive mindset, Liv, positive mindset," Nina said, and pulled into my driveway. I didn't miss the fact that our car wasn't there.

"Take your time, sweetie," Nina said as we entered the house. "Do you have suitcases?"

"Yeah," I nodded. "They're in the basement."

"Okay, you can each have one suitcase. Pack as much as you can – we can figure out the rest later."

"Thanks, Nina," I replied, adventuring further into the place that was once my home. I wished so badly that I was a few years older. That I was eighteen, so I could stay at the hospital with Brianna and then take her home. I could be Avery. I could work full time and pay bills and take care of Brianna.

I walked through the kitchen – still a mess, and into the living room. Avery had already vacuumed, and I could see the blankets in the spot where she must have fallen asleep on the couch. _So she did forget about me_ , I thought to myself. I picked up the blanket and held it to my face. It still smelt like her.

The tears came slowly, and then all at once. I couldn't hold myself together anymore. Why weren't we allowed to be happy? Why, when it seemed everything was coming together, did life suddenly feel the need to tear it all apart again? First dad, then mom, and now Avery and Brianna. Brianna wasn't dead, but they sure weren't keeping us together. Not when she was sick and I wasn't.

Nina was staring at me from the kitchen like I was a kicked puppy. Maybe I was. I didn't need her pity. I didn't need her sympathy. I just needed to leave. I pushed forward and went downstairs to get the suitcases.

I went to my room first, and packed up as much as I could. I grabbed some clothes, mostly underwear, toiletries, and a few other luxuries. I crossed the hall into Brianna's room, and grabbed what I thought she would need. I had one more thing that I needed to grab, but I didn't know how I was going to get it.

"You okay, Liv?" Nina called to me. I was just kind of standing outside Avery's bedroom.

"Actually, Nina," I sniffled, and wiped some lingering tears out of my eyes. "Can you come here and do me a favor?"

"Of course," she said, and stopped when she saw where I was standing. "What can I do?" I knew it was a double-sided question, but I ignored one of the meanings.

"My dad's flag is in there. I need to take it with me," I told her. "I just, I don't think I can go in there right now. It's Avery's room."

"Okay," Nina nodded. "I'll be right back."

She went in promptly and I turned around. I didn't want to risk seeing anything. Seeing the living room was hard enough. She came out, gently carrying my father's flag that we got after he died. She handed it to me, and then took one of the suitcases.

"Do you have everything?" She asked.

"Everything we're able to take," I quipped. Nina nodded and pulled the suitcase through the hallway and out the same door she came in. She was moving quickly. I knew she had other children to be with today, other cases, but I was grateful she prioritized us. I knew from the moment we first met her that she was a good one.

I took my time heading out. I wasn't coming back here, probably ever. They would auction off our stuff, and then our home. I gave it a month before a new family claimed it as their own.

Before I left, I made myself some breakfast in the kitchen. Nina came back in, and sat down knowingly at the kitchen table. This was supposed to be quick and painless, but I couldn't help but drag the process on. I was teetering on a line between a life I loved and a life of uncertainty. I was desperately fighting to stay on one particular side of that line.

"Can we bring Brianna some food?" I asked, hoping if we did I'd be able to see my sister again. Nina shook her head.

"The hospital will make sure she gets something to eat, Liv. She's going to be fine," Nina assured. I fought the urge to roll my eyes.

"Where am I going?" I asked her. "Did you find a placement?"

"Yes," she said. "They're waiting for you. They know about Brianna, and they're prepared to take you back to see her."

"Good," I nodded, taking a bite of my bagel. "Are there other kids?"

"A few younger. Nothing insane," Nina described.

"Which means for a normal person, it's probably insane," I mumbled. Nina didn't hear me.

"We should get going," Nina said as she looked at the clock. "It's time to say goodbye, Liv."

"Goodbye," I whispered, taking another bite of my bagel and allowing Nina to shuffle me out the door.

* * *

"I'm Liz," the woman held out her hand, and I shook it because if I didn't, my dad would haunt my sorry ass. "And this is my husband, Gregory."

"It's nice to meet you," I said, attempting politeness. They were a young couple, and seemed nice enough. There were two other kids running around. One was definitely a foster, but I couldn't be sure of the other one.

"What's your name?" The woman, Liz asked, trying to be friendly.

"Olivia Matthews," I gave my full name. She wasn't allowed to call me Liv yet.

"Well, welcome to our home, Olivia," Gregory smiled. "May I take your suitcase?"

"Sure," I shrugged. They had a big house, bigger than I had ever seen. Two stories. If he wanted to carry my suitcase up the stairs, then sure. Why not?

"Well, I'll leave this with you two," Nina handed Liz a stack of paperwork. "Just get it to me when you can," she directed. "As for you, Liv, call me if you need anything."

"I need to see my sister," I pressed. Nina sighed.

"Give it a few more hours. Let Bri rest and get some sleep. She's okay," Nina reminded me. I glared.

"Come on, let's get you settled in," Liz redirected, waving at Nina. "Thank you!"

"Thank you!" Nina nodded, and headed back to her car.

"How's it going?" A woman's voice called from behind my door. I opened it to reveal Liz.

"Just trying to figure out what I'm going to need to buy when I get paid next week," I complained. Top of the list was a toothbrush.

"You work?" Liz asked surprised.

"Yeah, I'm a dance teacher and front desk supervisor. It's part time, but it's something. They also let me take free classes there since I work for them," I explained. I lucked out. The owner of the dance studio, Nate, knew my dad pretty well. When my dad died, Nate cut me some slack and started giving me some work to take my mind off things. He knew we needed the money.

"What classes do you teach?" Liz asked, getting interested.

"Contemporary and Lyrical, but I study ballroom," I told her. I didn't know why.

"That's wonderful!" Liz exclaimed. "You should teach Gregory some time. He has two left feet. I could barely get him to dance at our own wedding," Liz teased. I laughed out of politeness. I really just wanted her to go away.

"Do you have a phone I could use?" I asked her, changing the subject.

"Uhm, we were actually hoping to go over some guidelines and house rules first, and then we can talk about phone time. Nina said that you don't have a cellphone?"

"Avery had a pay as you go phone in case of emergencies, but no, we didn't have any other phones. Couldn't afford them," I told her.

"Okay," Liz nodded. "Well, when you're finished come on downstairs so we can talk, and then we'll see about getting you your phone call," she gave a soft smile and headed back out.

"Great," I said. "I'm in prison."

I took a look around the room and sighed. It wasn't Warbuck's mansion, but it would do.


	3. Phone Call

Liz and Gregory reminded me of alpha males trying to assert their authority.

I finished unpacking, and headed downstairs as Liz had requested. I didn't want to cause any trouble, I just wanted to make a phone call.

"How do you like your new digs?" Gregory asked as I walked through the living room. One of the other boys was hanging off of his arm. He couldn't be more than six years old. Poor kid.

"It's wonderful, thank you," I said as politely as I could muster. I didn't want to be here.

"Come sit, sweetie," Liz patted a chair next to her in the kitchen. "This won't take long, and then we can see about getting you a phone call."

As I sat down, I noticed that she had a large binder in front of her. I wondered how much in there was about me. I also wondered how much in there was about that other little boy in the living room.

"So, this is the boring part, I know, but it's important," Liz assured, opening the binder. I couldn't tell what she was reading from where I was sitting, but it looked like it was some sort of outline. Probably a first night routine or something.

"First off, we have rules in this house. Three umbrella expectations, which cover smaller rules. Everyone in this house follows them, even Gregory and I. The first is be safe. There will be no unsafe behaviors inside or outside of this house. That includes behaviors that hurt you and hurt others, so no fighting, drinking, drug use, smoking, etc. Does that make sense?"

"Yes ma'am," I fought the urge to roll my eyes. I was almost 100% sure these guys read my file. I wasn't going anywhere near drugs.

"The second is be responsible. Pick up after yourself, and be where you're supposed to be. That means school, work, and curfew."

"I have a curfew?" I scoffed. Liz looked at me like I had ten heads.

"Of course," she nodded. "10:00 PM on the weekdays and 11:00 PM on the weekends. Nothing good happens after midnight."

"I don't even get out of work until 10:00!" I complained. Liz sighed.

"When you get your work schedule, let me know, and we can talk about what time to expect you home then."

"Thank you," I told her.

"The third," she continued, "is be respectful. We do yes ma'am and no sir, which you seem to be familiar with. You will treat not only Gregory and I, but our boys with respect, but we also expect you to treat yourself with respect. Do you understand?"

"Yes ma'am," I said, not trying to be fresh. She smiled and nodded.

"Good. Now for routines. It's the summer, so there's no school, but we are going to enroll you in Medina Valley High School when the time comes, should you still be with us. I am going to need your work schedule, so that Gregory and I can arrange transportation. You work in the city, right?"

"Yeah, at a dance studio," I repeated from earlier. I was grateful they were letting me keep my job.

"Great," Liz smiled. "During the summer, breakfast is at 8:00 and promptly at 8:00. You will make your bed every morning and keep your room tidy. During the day, you will have a list of chores to complete. Once those chores are done, you can start cashing in on your privileges."

"What are my privileges?" I asked for clarification.

"Screen time, basically," Liz shrugged, "But also time with friends, field trips into the city, etc. We can talk about that on a case by case basis."

"Okay, thank you," I told her.

"Nina also gave us some information about designated hospital times," Liz started hesitantly. "You can visit your sister twice a week for an hour," she stated. "Extra time would be considered another privilege."

"Are you kidding me?" I blurted again. "Only an hour? She's my sister," I argued.

"It takes a lot to drive into the city, and I have two young boys. We can't chaperone you and take care of them," Liz explained. I rolled my eyes. I could already see how this was going.

"Be respectful, please," Liz reminded. "I know this is a difficult time for you, but you need to be patient. The transition into foster care is a marathon, not a sprint. We can't let you have all the freedoms you're used to having, and there are rules we all need to follow, whether we like them or not. Now, do you want that phone call?"

"Yes, please," I mumbled. I _definitely_ wanted that phone call now.

"Here is the landline. No more than fifteen minutes, and no calls behind closed doors," Liz instructed. I nodded. I put the phone down momentarily and raced back up to my room to search for that tiny piece of paper I was given last night. I raced back downstairs and grabbed the landline, moving to find a place that wasn't behind a closed door, but was also private.

I dialed the number, and waited impatiently while it rang. I was incredibly disappointed when the phone went to voicemail.

 _Hi, this is Drew. Please leave your name, number, and brief message, and I'll get back to you as soon as possible. Thank you!_ Beep.

"Hi Drew, this is Livvy. The girl you promised you would answer," I was holding back tears. "Please call me back."

I hung up. I knew I was being overdramatic, but he promised that he would pick up. I needed to talk to him. I needed to get out of this house. I needed an adult that didn't care about the God damn rules.

The phone rang quickly after that.

"Hello?" I answered, not bothering to screen the call. Hope filled my voice.

"Liv, I'm so sorry," Drew was panting. "I left my phone for two seconds. I heard my voicemail, what happened? Are you okay?" I nodded, tears running down my face. He did care.

"I'm in some random town outside of San Antonio," I told him, trying to calm myself down and wiping my face. "I need you to come get me."

"Why? What's wrong?" I could hear shuffling. He was actually going to come get me, no questions asked.

"I want to see Brianna," I explained. The shuffling stopped.

"Liv," Drew sighed. "I can't just come get you every time you want to see Bri."

"They will only let me see her twice a week, Drew!" I complained. "She's sick, I want to be with her, not here twiddling my thumbs."

"How's your foster family?" Drew redirected. He sounded tired.

"They're nice, don't change the subject," I warned him.

"Listen, Liv," Drew began. "I would love to come get you and take you to Brianna, but I can't. I promise that as soon as I get to my shift I will have her call you. Is this the right number?"

"Yeah, this is my new landline," I grumbled.

"Is there a computer, or a way to video chat? That could help, too," Drew offered.

"I don't know, I'll have to ask. They keep everything locked up pretty tight," I explained.

"Okay, well, we can talk about that when we call later. Hang tight, and try to get to know them. Also, Liv?" Drew asked.

"Yeah?" I responded.

"I'm really glad you called," I could hear the smile in his voice. "I know I can't do what you want me to do, but you _can_ trust me. I'm here for you, just like I told you last night."

"I know, Dr. Drew," I teased. "You answered. Well, you called back," I corrected. "That got you a lot of brownie points."

"I'm glad. I'll talk to you tonight," he promised. I nodded.

"Thanks, Drew."

"You're welcome," he answered. We definitely had him wrapped around our fingers. Now if I could just get Liz and Gregory to be the same way.


	4. Explosion

EXPLOSION

I mostly just stayed in my bedroom. I didn't care to spend any more time with anyone here than I had to, and I wanted to unpack. Right now, the room was completely empty, not counting the five pieces of furniture. It looked like more like a college dorm room than a bedroom, even with the finished rug and painted walls.

"Hey there, kiddo," Gregory knocked on the door around 6:00 PM. He briefly knocked and walked in, as I was in my room listening to music and didn't hear him the first time.

"Don't call me kiddo," I mumbled under my breath. "What's up?" I asked.

"You have a phone call," he smiled. "It sounds like someone who is really looking forward to talking to you," he winked. "When you're done you should come on out. The boys want to watch a movie."

"I might just go to bed early, if that's okay," I told him. "I didn't get much sleep last night, and I'm really tired." It wasn't a lie.

"Whatever floats your boat, kiddo," he nodded, handing me the phone and walking away. "No technology behind closed doors!" He yelled on his way out as a reminder. I rolled my eyes and shut the door as much as possible without actually breaking the rule.

"Hello?" I answered, praying the other voice on the line was my little sister.

"Livvy!" She cheered before coughing. She sounded worse.

"Hey, buggy," I smiled, wiping a tear away. "How are you? Is Drew taking care of you?"

"Yeah!" She answered. "Drew is great. Guess what? He got me Turkish Delight! Can you believe that? He said that I had to wait for him to eat it though, which is stupid, but I guess I can do that."

"Patience was never something you were good at," I smiled. "How long until he lets you eat it?"

"He said I could have some after my percussion therapy," Bri groaned. I chuckled. Drew already knew how to work my little sister.

"He's right," I told her. "You can afford to wait a little while. Why is your percussion therapy so late, though?"

"I don't know," Brianna complained. "Probably because I live here now and we don't have health insurance."

"How do you know about health insurance?" I groaned. This was _not_ something she needed to be worrying about. In fact, this was an Avery problem, which meant it was a me problem now. Liz had already told me earlier that I was meeting with our lawyer tomorrow to figure out Avery's will and funeral stuff. That was going to suck.

"I heard the nurses talking about it," Bri admitted sheepishly.

"Don't worry yourself over that," I comforted. "You're going to get what you need, and that's what matters."

"Oh! Okay, guess where I am right now?" Bri asked, referring to an old game we used to play while she was on her nebulizer. She would get bored and my parents would tell me to entertain her. We started this game where we would picture ourselves somewhere else in the world, and the other person would have to guess where we were. She was probably going to say Narnia, she was _always_ in Narnia, but I played along anyways. It was better than picturing her hooked up to oxygen and wires in a hospital room.

"The Eiffel Tower," I threw out there as a wild guess. I could hear the disgust in Brianna's response.

"God, no," she coughed some more before continuing. "I'm where the sun shines."

"The desert?" I guessed. She lost me.

"I'm outside, dummy!" She teased me. "Drew took me out for a walk!"

"That was very nice of him," I commented, shocked that he would do that. Was that why she sounded so bad? She didn't sound that way earlier. "I hope you said thank you," I directed her.

"Thank you," I heard her whisper to him. I rolled my eyes.

"Hey, Livvy!" Liz knocked and interrupted, poking her head in. I fought the urge to snap back at her. "We're going to get started on the movie. Two more minutes, okay?"

I nodded. I was not going to last long with these people. My sister was way more important than whatever dumb movie Liz and Gregory were making their kids watch.

"Do you need to go?" Bri asked sadly from the other end.

"Is this Drew's phone?" I asked her, ignoring her question.

"Yeah, he let me use it. You're in his phone as a contact now! He let me put a special ringtone on it and everything!" Bri said excitedly. Of course he did.

"Let me guess, 'Harlem Shake?'" I asked her, laughing. She laughed too – in between coughs.

"Naturally," she answered. "Can I call you tomorrow?"

"You can call me whenever you want to," I told her. "I may not always be able to answer – my foster parents are weird about technology and that stuff – but you can _always_ call. You have my number now."

"Okay," Bri sighed. My heart broke for her. As hard as being apart was for me, I wasn't the one stuck by myself in a hospital.

"Can you put me on with Drew real quick, Bri?" I heard the shuffling of the phone, and then Drew's voice.

"Hey, Liv, what's up?" He asked.

"Thank you," I told him, the tears running down my face now. "I just…" I shook my head. There were no words to explain how grateful I was that he was taking care of her when I couldn't. How grateful I was that he was making her happy when I couldn't. "Just…thank you."

"Don't worry about it, Liv," Drew comforted. "I got her. You take care of you. Get some sleep, don't forget to eat, and we'll see you soon."

"Okay," I nodded. I could do this. Okay.

"Do you want to talk to Bri again?" He asked. I nodded, then realized he couldn't see me.

"Yes, please," I said out loud.

"Here you go," he put her back on the line.

"You're such a sap," Brianna tsked, probably overhearing us on the phone.

"Shut up," I mumbled. "Hey, I love you okay? Each day apart is another day we get closer to being together, right?"

"Right," Brianna affirmed.

"Okay, go get ready for the rest of your treatments, and I'll talk to you tomorrow, okay?"

"Talk to you tomorrow! I love you!" Brianna made kissy noises into the phone.

"I love you, too," I smiled, and waited for her to hang up the phone. When she did, I took a deep breath, and walked out to the bathroom.

I quickly wiped my face and composed myself before heading downstairs. It couldn't have been more than ten minutes between when I hung up the phone and when I made it down to the basement.

* * *

"There she is," Gregory smiled. The two boys were already elbows deep into their bowls of popcorn. It looked like they were watching the news while waiting for me.

"That was Brianna, right?" Liz asked me. I nodded and she handed me a bowl of popcorn.

"I'm glad you got to talk to her," Gregory smiled.

"When will I get to see her?" I asked. Liz and Gregory looked at each other.

"I think Nina is coming to get you tomorrow when she comes to take you to talk to the lawyer," Liz answered, but there was something else she wasn't telling me.

"Mom, look!" The older of the two boys pointed to the TV screen where footage of a hospital emergency room exploding filled the screen. My heart began beating faster than I ever knew it to beat, and it took everything in me not to run upstairs and hit redial on the phone.

"Is that…?" Gregory began to ask.

"It's San Antonio Memorial," I paled. "That's where my sister is."

"Okay, but you were just talking to her, right? You didn't hear any explosions, right?" Liz tried to rationalize.

"It's been fifteen maybe even twenty minutes since I hung up with her, it's possible," I shuddered. I was fairly confident Brianna had been moved out of the ER by now, but if Drew had taken her outside, then she could have been right in the line of fire.

"I know I already used my phone time, but please, please, can I just call Drew back and make sure they're okay?" I begged. Gregory and Liz nodded, and I raced upstairs.

"Please pick up, please pick up," I whispered into the phone. It went to voicemail and I groaned. "Drew!" I yelled, knowing that it wouldn't make a difference. I hit redial again.

"Liv?" Drew answered. I could hear the yelling and chaos in the background. I shrank, realizing that as much as I needed him to tell me everyone was okay, there were plenty of people who weren't okay that needed him.

"Is Bri okay?" I asked. That was all I needed to know.

"She's fine, she's back up in her room. Everyone's fine, Liv," Drew assured. I nodded.

"Okay, go save lives," I knew we needed to keep this conversation short.

"I meant what I said, Liv. Take care of yourself. I've got Bri."

"I'll do my best," I sighed. I would never stop worrying about her. Not after everything we had been through together.

"Good night, Liv," Drew said before hanging up the phone.

"Good night," I told him, even though he couldn't hear me. I had to trust him, and that was the hardest part of all of this.

I walked back downstairs, where they had given up on waiting for me to watch the movie.

"Hey, is everything okay?" Gregory asked, seeing me come down the stairs. I grabbed my bowl of popcorn and nodded.

"Everyone is safe," I reported. "Now let's watch a movie."


	5. My Sister, My Protector

MY SISTER, MY PROTECTOR

"Olivia?" Someone's whisper pulled me out of the darkness of my dreams. I didn't recognize the voice. It certainly wasn't Liz or Gregory.

I rolled over in my bed to find someone staring inches from my face. I wasn't expecting that, and I screamed as a result.

"Sorry! Sorry!" The little boy cried, backing away towards the door. The hallway light was on.

"It's okay," I whispered, sitting up in bed. "Come 'ere," I tried to clear my throat. It was still dark out. I looked at my clock and it said 3:24 AM. Great.

"Did your mommy die?" He asked. I nodded. He was the other boy who Liz and Gregory were fostering.

"Yeah, my mommy died," I told him. "Is that why you're here?" I asked, pulling my knees to my chest. He nodded.

"Liz and Gregory are my mommy and daddy now," he played with his fingers. I nodded. Did they adopt him, then? He couldn't be older than five, maybe six.

"They're very nice," I pointed out. "I'm sure they make a great mommy and daddy. How long have you lived here?"

"A long time," he said. "Why are you here?"

"Like you are. I need people to take care of me for a little while. I won't be here as long as you will be, though. Liz and Gregory aren't going to be my mommy and daddy. I'm too old," I pointed out. I didn't know why this kid woke me up, but I was hoping that if we just made small talk he'd run up to bed. I didn't think Liz and Gregory wanted him up in the middle of the night wandering.

"So you're going to leave?" He looked at me with puppy dog eyes.

"It happens, pal," I shrugged. "What's your name again?"

"Jeffrey," he answered, going back to playing with his fingers.

"Did you have a nightmare, Jeffrey?" I prodded. I knew from experience what the after effect of a nightmare looked like. He didn't answer me, he just nodded.

"Was it about your mommy?" I asked again. He nodded again.

"What did you do with nightmares before I came here?" Jeffrey shrugged, not answering me.

"Do Liz and Gregory know?"

"Yeah, they said it was normal. They said that Nathan used to have them, too."

"Is Nathan your brother?" He must be the other older boy. Jeffrey nodded.

"Can I tell you a secret?" I whispered in Jeffrey's ear. Another nod.

"Big brothers are here to protect their little brothers," I told him. "Just like big sisters are here to protect their little sisters. You wanna know how I know that?"

"How do you know that?" He asked, completely interested.

"I'm a big sister. I would do anything to protect my little sister, because it's my job. It's what I'm here to do," I explained.

"Can big sisters protect little brothers?" Jeffrey asked shyly. I nodded.

"Is that why you woke me up, Jeffrey?"

"Nathan told me about your sister. I wake Nathan up a lot, so I thought you might be able to help me fall back asleep tonight, so he could take the night off," Nathan explained. It all made sense now.

"Well, let's get you back to sleep, then," I smiled, and we got out of my bed.

* * *

 _"Avery," I whispered, poking her shoulder. She wouldn't wake up._

 _"Avery," I tried again, being louder, but not loud enough I would wake up Mom._

 _"It is the middle of the night, someone better be dying," Avery growled, sitting up in her bed. "What's the matter, Liv?"_

 _"I had another nightmare," I admitted. It was the same one I always had. Avery sighed._

 _"Come here," she sighed, and I climbed up into her bed. "Was it about Dad?" She asked. I nodded._

 _"Why did he have to go back?" I asked her. "Why did he have to die?"_

 _"He did it to protect us, Livvy," Avery ran her fingers through my hair. "He was fighting the bad guys."_

 _"I hate them," I cried. "Didn't they know that he had kids?"_

 _"Probably not, sweetie," Avery comforted. I could see her crying too._

 _"Who's going to protect us now?" I asked her after a few moments._

 _"I am," Avery asserted. "You know why?"_

 _"Why?" I asked her, looking into her brown eyes._

 _"Because I'm the oldest. You're Brianna's big sister, so you have to protect her, right?" Avery paused so that I could nod. "Well, I'm Brianna's big sister_ and _your big sister. So I have to protect both of you. I'm a super big sister," she explained._

 _"Forever?"_

 _"Forever and ever," she smiled. "I promise."_

* * *

"How are Liz and Gregory?" Nina asked, trying to get me to talk on the way to our appointment with the lawyer. I shrugged.

"They have a lot of rules," I complained. "I got to talk to Brianna last night, though."

"You'll get to see her today, too," Nina smiled. "That should help."

"Why can't I see her more? Isn't there some rule or something that they can't keep me from seeing her?"

"You have to understand it's an hour drive into the city, sweetie," Nina explained. "They both work full time, even in the summer, and they have two young boys. It's difficult, I know, but we are all working together and doing our best. For now, phone calls are going to have to do."

"Phone calls will never be enough, though," I complained. "Isn't there a shuttle or something I can take? I understand they can't drive me into the city every day, but I could go on my own. I need to get back to work, too, at some point."

"Like I said, Liz, Gregory, and I are working together to help keep everything as normal as possible. They took you in last minute as an emergency placement. It was that or a group home, where you wouldn't even be able to make phone calls. Things will get better. I know it doesn't seem that way, but they will."

"They better," I grumbled, staring out the window. They had to.

The meeting with the lawyer went about how I expected it to. Avery didn't have a will or anything, so the state was in charge of distributing her property. Our parents left a lot of strict instructions when they died for how things were to be split up between the three of us, so many things were already taken care of.

As far as financials, any money Avery had saved for college was split between Brianna and me. I argued that it should all go towards Brianna's medical expenses, but Nina and the lawyer – Mr. West, or whatever his name was – convinced me that I should put it into my own savings account. It wouldn't help Brianna any if I wasn't able to provide for myself.

* * *

We got to the hospital around 3:00 PM. I practically ran to Brianna's room, and not even Nina could stop me.

"Livvy!" Bri shouted, sitting up and coughing when I walked in with Nina.

"Bri!" I responded with equal enthusiasm, chuckling. Bri coughed a few times, and I noted that she was definitely getting worse. It had only been a little over a day though, could pneumonia get that much worse?

"Are you okay, bug?" I asked her, handing her some tissues. She nodded.

"I'll be okay," she assured. There was something in her voice though that made me unsure.

"I see you survived last night's excitement," I tried to change the subject. I would find out later.

"Yeah, it was really scary. Drew wasn't able to come up until this morning, but that meant I got to have Turkish Delight for breakfast!"

"Oh boy," I rolled my eyes, chuckling. "No wonder you're so hyper!"

"What did you have for breakfast? Did your new family make you pancakes?"

"Oh yeah," I lied. I had a bowl of cereal and some hand fruit. "Chocolate chip. I even put whipped cream on them."

"Ugh, I'm so jealous!" Bri complained.

"It's not nearly as good as Turkish Delight, though," I pointed out. "That's the ultimate breakfast. You're spoiled."

"I know," she smiled her famous smile.

"So I get to be here with you all day," I told Brianna, repeating what Nina told me earlier when she first picked me up. "So what are we going to do?"

"Well, I have treatments today," Bri explained. "But Drew is coming for dinner before his shift, and – oh! He's bringing Rick!" She exclaimed.

"Who's Rick?" I asked, warily.

"Drew's hubby," Bri answered. "I didn't know about him, but Drew asked if he could come tonight since they usually had dinner together. You should stay so you can meet him too!" Brianna invited. "Can she stay, Nina?"

"I'll have to call Liz and Gregory, but I'm sure it will be fine."

"You're a saint, Nina!" I cheered, squeezing Brianna's hand. It was a tough transition, but Nina _was_ trying her best.

"You're such a cheater!" I said to Brianna, definitely way to loud. Nina left about two hours to go handle some other cases, but she said she would be back around 7:00 PM so that I could get back to Liz and Gregory's before curfew.

About an hour ago, one of the nurses – Jocelyn, I think - brought in a deck of cards, and Bri and I were playing various card games. She had already been to her treatment, and was free for a while.

"Oh, hey Liv!" A man called while entering the room. I turned, and there was Drew with who I presumed to be Rick by his side. They were carrying pizzas. "I didn't know you would be here."

"Nina sprung me for the day," I teased.

"Only to get her butt kicked in cards," Bri stuck her tongue out.

"Because she cheats," I pointed out.

"You _think_ I cheat," Bri argued. I shook my head.

"Girl, I _know_ you cheat," I laughed. More coughing. Drew looked at Bri concerned, and walked over to check her file. He caught my eye, and mouthed later.

"Bri, Liv," Drew said, then pointed to the other man, "This is Rick. He's my husband."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, sir," I stood up to shake his hand. He shook mine as well. Bri greeted him too.

"Drew was right," Rick chuckled. "The Matthews sisters are an interesting breed."

" _That's_ what you told him?" Bri whined. "Of all the things!"

"But was I wrong?" Drew handed it right back. Bri just rolled her eyes. "We brought pizza, as you can tell. Rick, do you mind setting up while I talk to Liv?"

"Not at all," Rick answered. Drew motioned me outside of the room.

* * *

"What's going on?" I asked him.

"Well, I'm sure you've seen that Bri's gotten worse," Drew started. I nodded.

"I told you this was going to happen," I hissed. I wasn't happy.

"We thought we could get ahead of this, but she's getting worse too fast. It's not good, Liv, but we've got a plan. I've already talked to Brianna about it. She's okay, so I need you to be okay with this too."

"What do you mean 'it's not good?'" I asked him. "I need details, Drew."

"Her Pneumonia has gotten to a point where her lungs can't recover on their own. We're pushing antibiotics, but that's the best we can do right now. We've got her on every lung donor list in the country, and I will check it every single day."

"Lung donor? She's going to need a lung transplant?" I ran my hands through my hair. Why couldn't the universe cut me a break?

"Hey, Liv, Liv," Drew took my hand, and made me look at him. "What I said to you last night still stands. I am taking care of this. I am taking care of Brianna. I need you to keep taking care of you. She needs you to be brave and strong."

"She's going to get worse," I stated, then I remembered our insurance situation. "Drew, we don't have any money."

"Don't worry about that right now," Drew assured. "Brianna has already won over half this hospital. I promise you that we are all doing everything we can to keep her safe and comfortable."

"I need to move back to the city," I sniffled. My breathing sped up. I couldn't do this. I couldn't lose another sister. I couldn't go back to bumfuck nowhere knowing that she was dying.

"You need to take care of yourself," Drew insisted. "If that means going home to a family instead of a dirty group home, that's what that means."

"Drew," I sank down to the floor. I couldn't do this.

"I know," he said. "I know."

"She knows?" I asked him. He nodded.

"We talked about it this morning, before I went home," he disclosed. "She is convinced she isn't going to get lungs."

"What if she doesn't?" I asked him. "What if she dies?"

"I won't let that happen," Drew sat down next to me.

"You can't promise that," I told him, shaking my head. "I'm doing a shitty job of being a big sister," I choked.

"No you're not," Drew disagreed. "You're doing an amazing job. You call her, you talk to her, you visit her and play cards, you tell her everything is going to be okay, and you love her. You can't save her from Cystic Fibrosis, Liv. She loves you. She never shuts up about you. You just have to convince her that you're okay, because you should be the last thing she is worrying about. So, go to the bathroom, wipe your face, and let's eat some pizza."

"We got really lucky with you, Drew," I told him. "I know you told me to stop thanking you, but I just can't believe how in this sea of unfortunate events we have you."

"I got you, Liv," he squeezed my shoulder. "Come on," he helped me up.

* * *

"Welcome home," Liz smiled. She was up working on her computer when I walked through the door.

"I'm sorry I missed dinner," I apologized. I knew mealtimes were big in this family.

"I understand. We're not trying to be evil, Olivia," Liz offered. "We just need to have boundaries. We get a lot of different types of kids here."

"Jeffrey is incredible," I acknowledged.

"I hope you stick around long enough to get to know Nathan, too," Liz smiled. "They're great boys."

"Did you adopt both of them?" I asked. Liz nodded. "Why? What made you want to do this?"

"Gregory is a teacher," Liz answered. "I work with homeless shelters and at-risk youth. We've both seen kids go through a lot. Some we could save, and some we couldn't. We knew we could do more, so we did."

"I appreciate that," I told her. "Is it okay if I go to bed now?" I asked.

"Of course. I'll see you in the morning, okay?"

"Good night," I whispered to her before walking upstairs. I stopped at the top, where Jeffrey was playing on his floor with his dinosaur set.

"Hey, Jeffrey," I said from the doorway. He looked up. "Wanna hear another secret?" he nodded.

"I'm really happy to be your big sister," I smiled, messing his hair up. "You can wake me up if you need to, okay?" Jeffrey nodded again, smiling this time. I said goodnight and walked out.

I couldn't protect Bri from her disease, but I could protect Jeffrey from his nightmares. I couldn't fall apart in front of Bri, but I could close my door and fall apart here.

"Please," I begged, curling up in my bed and crying. "I don't know what I did, and I don't know what your plan is, but if you're up there, please save my sister."


	6. Daughter

DAUGHTER

Life fell into a fairly structured routine in the weeks that followed.

I talked to my director at the dance studio, and we were able to work my hours around my visitation times with Brianna. I worked Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, and so those were my days in the city. Gregory would drive me into the city in the morning before I went to work, drop me off at the hospital, and I would spend most of the morning and early afternoon with Brianna. I wanted to be able to see her again after my shifts, but both Nina and Drew insisted that Bri needed her sleep, and I shouldn't be at the hospital past visiting hours anyways.

Drew and Rick were absolute saints. Drew gave me a daily update on Brianna – I was still waiting for the good news – and Rick became much more of a presence after that first night. He also gave me his phone number, in case I needed anything. I didn't call him nearly as much as I called Drew in those first few days, but I appreciated the effort.

On the weekends, if Drew and Rick weren't working, one or both of them would drive out to town and come spring me for a few hours. We'd get ice-cream or just drive around. Liz and Gregory didn't mind, they weren't around much on the weekends anyways.

All of this considered, it didn't surprise me all that much when Drew and Rick showed up unexpectedly on a Thursday morning.

"We are in the middle of breakfast," Liz complained in the doorway.

"Is that Drew?" I asked, standing up from the table. Why didn't he call me? He was working last night, so he should be sleeping by now.

"I'm sure everything is fine," Gregory tried to comfort. "Finish your breakfast."

"I just need to check," I panicked. It had been almost a month since Avery died, but it was still far too soon to lose someone else I loved.

"Drew?" I asked, peaking around the corner. Liz sighed. She wasn't going to win this one.

"I suppose this gets Gregory off the hook this morning," She tried to joke, but I knew there was a seriousness in her voice. She was not a fan of my schedule.

"I'm sorry, Liz," I apologized as she walked away. I cringed and looked back at where Drew and Rick were standing.

"Please tell me Brianna is okay," I begged them as I stepped outside into the heat. It was barely 8:00 in the morning, and already I was sweating.

"She's fine," Drew assured. "We still have a long ways to go, but she's a fighter."

"Of course she is," I smirked. "So why are you here?" I asked, confused.

"Well, Liv," Rick started, uncomfortably playing with his pants pocket. "We uh, we actually thought we could take you out for breakfast this morning before you have to go into work. We didn't realize you'd be eating so early in the morning, so sorry for interrupting that."

"Trust me, it's fine," I chuckled. "They're just weird about the schedule. I don't think they've ever actually fostered a teenager before."

"It's a tough job, give them some credit," Drew chastised.

"Yes, I know," I rolled my eyes. "We've had this talk."

"Then don't make me have it with you again," Drew nudged. "Come on, we'll take you to our favorite spot in the city."

"You sound like a dad," I teased, sticking my tongue out. I caught Drew and Rick sharing a side glance with each other nervously. I wanted to push, but I dropped the subject.

* * *

Apparently, Drew and Rick's favorite spot was the Magnolia Pancake house. It was gorgeous inside, and smelled amazing.

"Three," Rick said to the hostess as we walked in. Drew chuckled.

"You like it?" He asked. I nodded.

"We'll have to take Brianna here when she's feeling better. She loves pancakes."

"Best pancakes in the city," Drew mentioned. Rick scoffed. "Other than yours," Drew corrected.

Once we were seated and ordered our drinks, Drew and Rick reverted back to the conversation from earlier.

"So, there is a reason why we brought you out to breakfast, Liv," Drew began. "It's not because of Brianna, so stop worrying about her."

"You know, that from the moment Drew met Brianna, there was a special connection," Rick explained. "I know at least on my end, he wouldn't stop talking about her. He also couldn't stop talking about you."

"I know you two have been through hard times, and we have truly fallen in love with both of you. I uh, I think this will explain what we're trying to say," he stumbled, and pulled a gift bag out from under the table. He handed it to me, and I eyed him nervously while I opened it.

Inside was the most beautiful sterling silver bracelet. There was a small charm with the word _daughter_ engraved on it. I looked back at Drew and Rick, confused as to why they would give this to me.

"You haven't had a father in a very long time," Rick began, tears in his eyes. "We want to fix that."

"Oh my God," I covered my mouth, almost knocking over my glass of orange juice. I thought about what they were saying. I would live in the city. I would live in the same house as my sister. I would have two adults in my life who would take care of me. It really was a no brainer.

"We've only known you for a short time, and we understand that this is fast. We also understand if you've grown attached to your foster family, and you want to stay there-"

"Yes," I interrupted. As much as I had gotten used to living with Liz and Gregory, and as much as I would miss Nathan and Jeffrey, this was better than anything I could have hoped for.

"Yes?" Drew asked.

"Yes!" I nodded, and walked over to hug them. A few tears escaped my eyes, but I didn't mind. I thought of something else, then, and panicked.

"Does Brianna know? Have you asked her yet?" I questioned.

"Drew asked her early this morning," Rick replied. "She already said yes. We wanted to give you a chance to back out, though."

"How could I back out of a deal as sweet as this one?"

"Just like we told Bri," Drew began. "You'll have your own room, a yard, and two wildly overprotective parents."

"As long as you don't tie me down to a house, I think I can live with that," I chuckled.

"Sounds like a plan," Drew smiled. "Now let's eat some pancakes."

* * *

"Did you say yes?" Bri asked excitedly when I walked through the door to her room. I smiled, and showed her my bracelet.

"Of course I said yes, bug," I told her. She hugged me.

"We're going to have a family again," she whispered quietly.

"Yeah bug, we are," I whispered back. It looks like my prayers worked.


	7. Transitions

TRANSITIONS

"I hear some good news is in order!" Gregory cheered the next morning when I got up for breakfast. Jeffrey came running right over to give me a hug, and he handed me a card – _It's a Girl! –_ signed by the whole family. I couldn't hide the shock on my face. I had to admit, I was fairly anxious for Liz and Gregory to find out about Drew and Rick's plans to adopt me.

"Thank you," I smiled. "I guess word travels fast," I said as I stuffed a muffin into my mouth. Nathan smirked while Liz pointed at me to sit down.

"Nina sent over some information on the transition last night. They're moving fast with you and your sister, it felt like ages when we were trying to adopt Nathan and Jeffrey," Liz explained. "We're really happy for you, hun."

"Do you actually think the adoption is going to happen?" I asked after a few minutes. Now the excitement of the previous night had died down, I was starting to think about the facts. Being gay wasn't exactly something that was widely accepted in Texas. I wasn't sure what the laws were, but even with Nina's pushing, was the law on our side?

"We've seen a lot of miracles," Gregory confirmed. "There's a lot of people in your corner, and they're moving mountains for you all to get a happy ending. That doesn't happen as often as you'd like to see. God will work things out in the end."

"Are you upset? You know, do you think Drew and Rick will be good parents? Would you support that?" I tried to gauge where they were coming from. I didn't think the courts needed their approval, but just in case, I wanted to know what we were up against.

"We've seen a lot of kids go back to the wrong homes," Liz answered. "As much as we would like to keep you ourselves," she shared a glance with Gregory, "we've seen how you are with them, and we wouldn't dream of taking you away from your sister. I personally believe a child should have a mother and a father, but it's obvious that even mother and father households can't keep it together. We're not going to stand in your way, Liv," she finished.

"You just said last night-" Nathan started to say, but Gregory silenced him quickly. I could tell by the way Liz was talking she wasn't thrilled, but it didn't seem they were going to try and stop us. Honestly, that was all I asked for.

"So do you know what the next steps are? Nina never really went over this with me," I asked.

"You were an emergency placement, so the plan is to get you in permanent housing as soon as possible," Liz explained. "Since Dr. Alister is planning on adopting you, and he and his husband are filing the paperwork, the plan is to transition you to their home permanently."

"How long until that happens?" I took an apple from the fruit basket. I was grateful they were sharing all this information with me.

"It could be weeks, or it could take months. It depends on their legal team, home studies, and if they're qualified to be foster parents. I'm sure Nina is counseling them on all of this."

"Does it speed anything up that my sister's dying?" I was met with blank stares. I don't think they were expecting me to be so blunt about it.

"I don't think…"

"She is, though," I corrected Gregory before he could try and minimize what she was going through. "She's dying. If she doesn't get a lung soon, she's going to die, so how does that factor into all of this?"

"We don't know, Liv," Liz sighed. "It's a messy case, but everyone is doing their part. In the meantime, you have work today, so you better get moving."

"Okay," I sighed, and ran back up to my room to grab the last of my things I needed for the day.

* * *

"I can't believe you're still here," the studio owner, Zach said to me after one of his classes. It was late – almost nine o clock at night.

"I told you I'd close tonight," I handed him a sweat rag from behind the counter. He just shook his head.

"You really don't like your foster family, huh?" He asked. "I thought they were treating you okay?"

"I like them," I insisted. Things had gotten a lot better now that I'd been around for a while. "I just need some space."

"You're getting attached," Zach teased, laughing. "It's okay, you know. They're the ones who took you in when no one else did. It's okay if you're going to miss them."

"Nothing's going to happen if Brianna doesn't get new lungs, so it doesn't even matter," I grumbled, packing my bag.

"She will," Zach nodded.

"And if she doesn't? Who says Drew and Rick are even going to want me around if she doesn't make it? She's the reason they're adopting us," I finally said out loud. Zach shook his head.

"I'm one hundred percent sure that's not true," he insisted. "Adoption isn't something you compromise on."

"Like you would know, Mr. Bachelor," I teased, trying to change the subject. Zach didn't know commitment if it was coming at him was blazing lights and sirens. The only thing he was committed to was his studio.

"Hey, Zoey and I are going strong," he pointed. "Which, by the way can you take over my summer jazz workshop on Monday? We're going white water rafting this weekend for our anniversary," he winked. I rolled my eyes.

"I don't know what she sees in you," I shook my head. "But yes, I'll see if I can cover it. If not, I'll ask Jennifer."

"Thank you," Zach smiled. "Look, I'll lock up. Who's picking you up tonight to bring you back to the boonies?"

"Thanks," I yawned. "Rick is. Nina made a deal between Rick and Drew and Liz and Gregory. If Liz or Gregory could bring me into the city, Rick or Drew would bring me back before my curfew. Usually it's Rick, since Drew's working."

"Girl, you lucked out," Zach high-fived. "Give my best to Brianna, and I will see you next week." He said as he kicked me out.

"Have fun with Zoey," I winked, walking out of the studio. Rick was already there waiting for me.

"Howdy," I smiled, piling into the truck with my dance gear.

"How was class?" He asked, reaching over to hug me.

"I don't teach over the summer – especially now that I'm not local. It's too complicated, plus enrollment is low. It's mostly workshops, and I'm mostly at the front desk doing registration. I get more hours that way," I explained. "I'll go back to teaching in the fall."

"Ah, I see," Rick nodded. "Well, how was sitting in front of a computer all afternoon?"

"Better than you'd expect," I chuckled. I basically hung off facebook and skyped friends, things I wouldn't be able to do with my limited screen time at Liz and Gregory's, but Rick didn't need to know that. "How's Brianna?"

"She's hanging in there," Rick's tone was enough to tell me she wasn't getting any better. It wasn't anything we didn't know, but I was still hoping for the good news. "Drew's with her."

"I figured," I stared out the window at the fading lights, wondering silently if Bri would ever see them again.

"He's trying, Liv," Rick sighed. "They all are."

"I believe that," I asserted. "I just wish I could do more."

"I know," he squeezed my shoulder. "I know."


	8. Too Much Too Soon

TOO MUCH TOO SOON

Things were moving. Fast.

Brianna still hadn't gotten her lungs yet, and she was not doing well. Still, even her deteriorating health couldn't stop Nina from pushing forward with the adoption. Nina, Drew, and Rick were flying through paperwork like nobody's business, and Nina had already approved their home study. More and more, this adoption was becoming huge source of anxiety for me, and people were picking up on it.

"You barely ate dinner tonight, are you feeling okay?" Gregory asked while we were cleaning up. I was loading the dishwasher while he put away the leftovers. Liz got called into the shelter and wasn't home tonight, Nathan was at a friend's house, and Jeffrey was…well, I learned a while ago to stop asking that question.

"I'm fine," I lied. I probably should have come up with something better, but I couldn't. I didn't want to let in on the idea that I was nervous about the adoption, but I also wasn't hiding it very well.

"You've been here over two months now, Olivia," Gregory noted, "you're not this quiet, and you certainly don't leave a half a plate of food behind at the dinner table. Come on, humor me. What's going on in that head of yours?"

"I'm just tired, really. All of this back and forth is really getting to me, I think, and I'm just really worried about Brianna," that was a believable lie. Maybe he would leave me alone now.

"If the back and forth is too much, we can-"

"I don't want to stop seeing her," I stopped Gregory before he could finish that sentence. No matter how I felt about Drew and Rick adopting us, I certainly did not want to stop spending time with my sister. I was already seeing her less and less and making too many excuses for it. I just wished everything was moving slower.

"Okay, okay," Gregory held up his hands. His half of the chores were done, so he waited patiently for me to finish mine. I finished the dishes in silence, however, not having much else to say. Before I walked away, he stopped me.

"Whatever's going on, you know you _can_ talk to us, right? We've seen a lot of this kind of stuff before. You're not the first one, and you're not alone," he had his teacher voice on. The last thing I wanted to do was become one of their projects, so I plastered on a smile.

"Thank you," I told him, before escaping to my room.

Two months ago I lost my sister. I was promptly moved into a new home, far away from my only other family member. A few weeks ago, I found out I would be getting a new family. People who truly loved us, but did they know what they were getting themselves into? I couldn't handle getting uprooted and shifted again. One move was bad enough. I couldn't handle another heartbreak like that again, not so soon.

I fell asleep with these thoughts pounding my head, so I wasn't surprised when I woke up at 1:00 AM with my heart pounding. I tossed and I turned, but I couldn't calm myself down.

 _They don't want you, they want her_ , my inner voice kept telling me. The rational part of my brain kept telling me it wasn't true, but the far more irrational part was winning. It felt like the walls were closing in.

I had to get out of here.

I threw a sweatshirt on and grabbed the iPod that Liz and Gregory had gotten for me once they found out I didn't pack my old one. I snuck downstairs and walked right out of the door. I wasn't trying to run away, I just needed some space and some air.

I ran around the once unfamiliar town. Through driving back and forth with Liz and Gregory, and even sometimes Rick or Drew, I had learned which nooks and crannies were places worth visiting. When I wasn't in San Antonio, I was usually wandering around here. Being stuck in the house all day got old after a few weeks.

I made it to the abandoned basketball court and sat down, pulling my head in my knees, and just rocking.

In my mind, there were four different scenarios: one, Brianna gets a lung and gets discharged. We go live with Rick and Drew, and it's happily ever after. Two, Brianna gets a lung and gets discharged. We go live with Rick and Drew, who decide having two girls is too much, particularly one with a severe health condition. We go back into foster care with our hearts broken. Three, Brianna dies, and they get stuck with me. I raise myself (or end up back in foster care) until I'm eighteen, because who the hell wants to take care of a teenager. Based on these scenarios, Bri had to live in order to remotely make this adoption work.

Thinking about Bri dying brought on another round of sobs. I couldn't live through the death of another sister, I just couldn't. I hid it well, but Avery was my hero. She was able to be there for Bri _and_ me, and I could barely be there for myself these days. When our parents died, she took life by the reins and raised us. She didn't deserve to die, and neither did Brianna. Brianna was just a kid, dammit. She deserved to be able to live out a long life.

"Olivia?" I heard someone call out, and there were flashlights. I looked up and there was a police officer in front of me. Fuck. I didn't realize I fell asleep. It was too dark to be morning, but I could see the sun starting to peak out.

"That's me," I sighed, standing up. I was soaked, even though I barely realized it was raining. I also didn't think I was gone long enough to warrant the police coming.

"Your parents are worried about you, are you okay?" He asked, handing me a blanket and leading me to a police cruiser.

"They're not my parents, they're fostering me," I corrected. The officer nodded.

"That explains why so many people are involved. They're back at the house, are you okay to go home?"

"Yeah, I'm sorry. If you don't mind me asking, what time is it?" I asked as the officer ushered me inside the cruiser. I was put in the back seat, so I couldn't see the clock from where I was sitting.

"It's about 5:15, ma'am. Usually we wouldn't respond to cases like this so soon, but with the rain and your mom – sorry, foster mom – insisting we look around, my sarge said to give it a shot."

"I'm sorry. I'm sure you all have better ways to be spending your time," _like sleeping_ , I added in my head. I could only imagine how much trouble I was in, so I probably wasn't going to be sleeping any time soon.

"I'm just glad you're okay, ma'am," the officer mentioned, pulling into the driveway.

"Oh my God, Nina, she's back," I heard Liz say into the telephone before rushing down the stairs with an umbrella. She looked absolutely exhausted.

"Where were you?" She asked, pulling me into a hug. "Thank you officer," she nodded to the man who brought me home.

"Just doing my job, ma'am," he nodded back to her. "Take care of yourself, little miss," he said to me.

"Thank you," I whispered back to him. He was a nice dude.

"Where were you?" Liz repeated her earlier question, pulling me inside and rubbing my arms to warm me up. "Jesus, you're freezing."

"I'm sorry," I apologized, seeing that Gregory was up as well, leaning against the counter. He looked worried, but wasn't as frantic as Liz was. I could see Jeffrey peaking from the stairs before Gregory waved at him to go back to bed. "I just needed some air," I answered, finally.

"That's not a real answer, Olivia," Liz groaned. "Do you know how worried we were? I come back from the shelter, absolutely exhausted and no sooner do I finally lie down in bed and Jeffrey is waking me up telling me you weren't in your room? We searched _everywhere_ for you! After an hour of driving around myself, we had to call the police and Nina and-"

"Liz," Gregory put his hand out. Liz was a mess. "Go to bed, get some sleep. She's safe. I'll handle her, and I'll talk to Nina when she gets here. You're exhausted," he kissed her.

"I thought you were better than this, Olivia," Liz shook her head and walked upstairs, taking Jeffrey, who still hadn't gone to his bedroom, with her.

"I didn't mean to cause you all so much trouble," I mumbled to myself, picking at the edge of my soaking wet sweatshirt.

"I know," Gregory nodded. "Go get changed, I'll make some hot chocolate, and then we'll talk."

"I'm sorry," I apologized again. I just needed air, it wasn't supposed to blow up this badly.

I changed into another pair of sweats – ones that were insanely comfortable – thinking that I'd need the extra warmth. I was sure to get pneumonia myself after falling asleep in the rain like that. Liz didn't have to be disappointed in me – I was disappointed enough for everyone.

When I came down, Nina was here. Nina wasn't the only one, though. Drew and Rick were with her – Drew with a black eye. My eyes widened when I saw them.

"You didn't have to come all the way down here," I mumbled, taking a seat at the dining room table. I felt terrible. I wished I had just stayed and rolled around in my bed all night rather than deal with this.

"Are you okay?" Nina was the first to speak up. I couldn't speak, so I just nodded. All three of them looked like they had a long night. Rick was in his SWAT gear. I hoped she hadn't pulled them out of work just for this. I felt tears start to well up in my eyes.

"What happened?" Gregory asked. "And saying 'I just have a lot going on' isn't going to cut it this time, Liv."

"I woke up, and I needed some air. I was just planning on going to the basketball court and back, but I fell asleep. I woke up when I the officer found me. I'm so sorry," I aggressively wiped the tears from my eyes. I wasn't a girl who cried for stuff like this.

"You've been really quiet lately," Rick pointed out. "Especially on the rides home."

"You haven't been to see Bri for a while, either," Drew pointed out.

"We're here for you, sweetie," Nina pointed out. I felt like I was being attacked. The walls were closing in again. "No one is mad, we just need to know how we can help you."

"I don't want my sister to die," I admitted, crashing in on myself. "I don't want you two to adopt us and realize we're too much, or adopt me and realize you only wanted her. I just…I can't feel this way anymore."

Drew was the closest to me, so he started rubbing my back, coaching me on how to breathe. I didn't know if I could anymore. Rick moved so that he was on the other side of me, and I could feel him holding my hand while I cried into Drew.

All of the feelings I had been ignoring since Avery died came crashing down at once. I was mourning one sister while facing the fate of another. All of the anxiety and guilt and sorrow was eating me alive. I had tried to stay normal and tried to keep afloat for so long, and now this adoption thing just pushed me over the edge.

It took me a while, but I finally calmed down.

"I need you to look at me, Liv," Drew said once I had stopped crying so much. I was still shaking, but he never let go. Rick ran his hands over his face. Nina and Gregory looked on with awe.

"Brianna is the reason we met you, there's no doubt about that," he explained. "That does not mean for one second that she is any more important to us than you are. We still want you to be our daughter."

"Driving you back and forth from San Antonio is my favorite part of the day," Rick added. "We love Brianna, but we love you too. We don't want you to think for a second that if something happened to Brianna we would no longer want you in our lives. You've made just as much as an impact on us as she has."

"With that said, Brianna is going to be okay," Drew moved some of the hair out of my face, smiling. "That's why we all came here together. We were already on our way to come get you when Nina got the phone call that you ran away."

"Brianna got her lung, Livvy," Nina smiled, sharing the good news. My heart burst into a million pieces. "It was touch and go, but by the time we get back she will be out of surgery and waiting to see her big sister."

"Oh my God," I started crying again, and put my head back on my knees. Drew and Rick chuckled, still rubbing my back.

"There's still a lot of things that can happen, but everything looks really good right now," Drew explained. "We can talk more on the way to the hospital, but if you want to be there before she wakes up, we need to go now."

I looked up at Gregory, begging him. I didn't even need to ask.

"They're your family, Liv. Get out of here," he smiled. "We can talk more when you get back."

"Thank you, thank you!" I ran over and hugged him. "I'm so sorry again for worrying you."

"I'm not happy that you ran away, but it's not the worst thing one of our foster kids has done. You'd never believe how many times Nathan ran away when he first got here," Gregory teased. "It happens. Next time, just talk to us."

"I can't promise that, but I promise that I'll at least leave a note next time," I smirked.

"Let's go you goofball," Drew said from behind me. Rick grabbed what he noticed was my go bag from when I went to San Antonio by the doorway. The fact that I didn't even need to tell him to grab it made me know in my heart that they were right. I was their daughter.

"Are you really okay?" Nina asked, pulling me into a hug before we got in the car. I couldn't believe the three of them piled in here before.

"I'm perfect," I smiled. "Thank you, Avery," I whispered before getting into the car. I was learning more and more that once you were a big sister, you never stopped being a big sister. Not even in death.


	9. Sleep

SLEEP

"Olivia, it's a hospital, you can't run," Nina reminded me. I had already been warned twice – and yelled at once – after jumping out of the car while Nina was still driving. One could say I was a tad bit impatient.

"She's fine," Drew smiled. We were almost at her room. I was the first to walk in, but stopped suddenly when there was already a slim brunette woman sitting with Brianna. She looked up from the magazine she was reading and smiled.

"You must be Olivia," she said, extending her hand. "I'm Syd, I worked with Drew oversees."

"Right," I remembered Drew telling me about her once. "It's nice to meet you," I shook her hand.

"I've heard so much about you," she smiled. "I have a daughter about Brianna's age. I'm so happy I was able to come meet you both."

"Yeah, thanks for sitting with her," Drew mentioned, hugging his friend. I smiled and stood awkwardly to the side, stealing glances at my baby sister who was lying sound asleep in the hospital bed. Her breathing already sounded a lot better from the times I had visited her before.

"She's okay," Rick came up behind me and wrapped his arm around my shoulder. "She did great."

"She woke up briefly while you were gone, but she was still pretty out of it. Paul had the nurse give her some more medication and she fell back asleep quickly," Syd explained.

"Did she ask for us?" I worried. Syd shook her head.

"She was barely conscious, sweetie. She needs to rest in order to heal," she comforted. "I know this must be really scary for you."

"I've been through worse," I snapped, unintentionally. Watching my younger sister recover was nothing compared to watching my older sister die. Drew gave me a look telling me to cut the attitude, but Rick just squeezed my shoulder. Tonight was stressful for everyone.

"Why don't you try to get some sleep while we wait? I can't imagine the ground at the basketball court was very comfortable," Nina offered, pulling up a chair. Drew nodded and grabbed a blanket from the cabinet.

"We don't need two patients today," he commented, handing me the blanket. I really didn't want to fall asleep, but Nina was right. The small amount of sleep I had gotten wasn't high quality, and the adrenaline from it all was wearing off. It wasn't long before my body made the decision for me, and I was closing my eyes.

* * *

"Liv," someone nudged me. I groaned, stretching out, completely forgetting I was on a chair.

"Liv, there's someone who wants to talk to you," the woman nudged again. I opened my eyes and rubbed them. I looked over to see Bri wide awake in her bed, sitting and chatting with everyone in the room.

"Liv, I can breathe again!" She smiled, laughing. I joined her and walked over to the bed, giving her a big hug.

"You're freezing," she commented. I guess the blanket hadn't done much.

"Yeah, I kind of went on an adventure last night," I shrugged. She didn't need to know the details.

"How long have you been here? Did Liz or George drop you off?" Bri asked.

"No, Nina came to pick me up," I semi-lied. I didn't want Bri to think that Rick and Drew weren't here for her.

"I'm so sorry I wasn't here when you went into surgery, Bri," Drew apologized, rubbing her leg from where he was sitting with Rick.

"I've already told you Drew, it's fine," she smiled. "My whole family is here now, that's what matters."

"That's right," Nina chuckled. "I'm going to go finish filling out some paperwork for you, Miss Olivia, and I will be back shortly. If all goes well, you'll be moving in with Drew and Rick by the end of the week."

"Are you serious?" I asked, shocked. The system _never_ moved this quickly.

"Super serious," she winked. "Have a nice day, everyone. I'm glad you're feeling better, Brianna."

"Thank you so much, Nina," Bri smiled, giving her a hug. I could tell she was still sore, but she did a good job of hiding it.

"You did it, munchkin," I smiled, sitting on the bed while the adults all gathered at the door to talk. "You got your lung."

"Yeah," she sighed. "Have you seen the new house, yet?" She asked, changing the subject. I smiled.

"Of course," I chuckled. "Drew and Rick wanted to take me there to see it the last time I went to breakfast with them, but I told them I only wanted to see it with you. I guess if I'm moving in by the end of this week, that plan is going to be out the window, huh?"

"You deserve to be happy too, Livvy," Brianna reminded me, taking my hand. "We can both have a happy ending."

"I am happy," I smiled, wiping a tear out of my eye. "I'm very happy. We have a family again. There's nothing that could make me happier."

"Maybe a dog," Bri chuckled. My eyes widened.

"You don't know about the dog?" I questioned her.

"What dog?" She asked me, then turned to Drew and Rick. "Excuse me sirs, why did you not tell me you had a dog?" Drew rolled his eyes. I pulled out my phone and showed her a few pictures.

"Bri, meet Bear," I showed her the German Shepard. He was a trained police dog, and often worked with Rick, but he was also a big teddy bear. I had the pleasure of meeting him a few times.

"He's gorgeous," Bri gasped. "I'm even more excited now," she smiled.

"You need to recover, first," Drew interrupted. "You just had a major surgery. Take it easy."

"Bear will still be there when you recover," Rick smiled. It was smiles all around this morning.

"Well, I hate to break up the party, but I really need to sign my discharge papers and head home. Riley is with my Mom still," Syd sighed. "It was so nice meeting you two fine young ladies. I can already tell Drew and Rick are going to have their hands full."

"Are going to?" Drew teased. I nudged him.

"We're not _that_ bad," I stuck my tongue out.

"No, you just run away and she takes advantage of my medical degree," he chuckled.

"Still, it could be worse," I mentioned. He shrugged.

"You're right," he agreed. "Syd, safe travels, and good luck in DC. I'll see you soon," he hugged his friend goodbye. I could tell this wasn't the last time we would be seeing her.

"Bye Syd!" Bri called to her.

"It was nice meeting you," I hugged her as well. She seemed to be one of the family. While Rick and Drew were preoccupied with walking Syd out the door, I hopped onto the bed with my sister.

"You're not supposed to do that," she whispered to me. I squeezed her hand, surprised to see up close how many tubes she was hooked up to.

"Shut up, or you'll get us both in trouble," I whispered back to her, smirking.

"I thought you said you weren't any trouble?" Rick chuckled once he turned back around. Drew had left with Syd for the time being.

"We're tired," Bri whined. I nodded along.

"Fine, but I'm not the one who gave you permission to be up there," he pointed at me and sat down in the chair.

"If we're all sleeping by the time he comes back he can't say no," I pointed out. Rick just shook his head and sat back down in his chair. I wasn't sure if he was going for it or not, but then I saw him wink and close his eyes. Brianna and I laughed for a second and did the same, faking slumber.

It wasn't long until I was out for real.


	10. The L Word

THE L WORD

"Are you going to be okay, kiddo?" Nina asked, chuckling. She was dropping me off for my first official overnight at Rick and Drew's. I hesitated for one moment, and she caught on.

"I'm fine," I told her. Sure, I was a little nervous, but nothing compared to the mess I was before. Things were moving forward, and assuming my overnight and Bri's recovery went well, Brianna would be released in a few days, and we would live here permanently. This was my home now, and I was okay with that.

"It's okay to be nervous. You've had a lot of change in your life recently. Just think, though, you'll be able to go back to the same school in the fall, and you can continue to work at the dance studio. This is a good thing, sweetie. As good as it gets."

"I know, it could have been way worse," I recognized. There was no way Brianna and I would have been adopted if it weren't for Drew and Rick. She was too sick and I was too old. Hell, if Drew hadn't connected so well with Bri in the first place, I might have lost another sister entirely. We absolutely lucked out.

"They're watching by the window. I bet they're even more nervous then you are," she smiled, nudging me. I nodded.

"They probably have Brianna on Skype, too," I smiled. There was no way Brianna was going to miss this.

"They might, but remember, this is about you. With any luck, you could very well be their daughter soon. You need to make sure that is what you want," Nina warned.

"I absolutely want this," I promised her. "Thank you, I know you've been working hard to make this go faster."

"I work with a lot of kids who have gone through tragedy," Nina answered. "When I see an opportunity to make two of those kids have a happy ending, I run with it."

"I think I'm ready to go inside now," I smiled, so did Nina.

"Lead the way, Livvy," she gestured.

* * *

I had been to Drew and Rick's house before, but they were working on the bedroom situation. It was a three bedroom house, so they had plenty of room for us, but they were redesigning the rooms as a surprise for us. Despite my begging, Drew and Rick stood firm in their decision to wait and not show us the room until our first overnight.

"Are you ready?" Rick asked excitedly, despite rubbing his hands together nervously. I nodded, smirking. I was excited myself to see how they designed it. I was hoping it was better than the in and out foster room I got at Laura and Gregory's. It sufficed, but I wanted something more personal.

The bedroom was a good size. It had more than enough space for me and what little belongings I had. The walls were the same purple as my backpack – a dull lavender. In one corner was my new bed, fitted with sheets that brought out a little more life than my walls. The bed had drawers underneath where I could store some of my clothes. Above my bed were the words "Fly with the angels, dance amongst the stars," painted in elegant black lettering. Beside the bed, tucked in beneath one of the windows was a small desk for me to do homework at. It was a simple, white desk, but there was already a laptop, desk lamp, and school supplies sitting there waiting for me. I recognized some of the supplies as things Rick and I picked up on one of our outings.

I walked farther into the room, and saw the part that must have taken the longest, and touched me the most. The opposite wall to my bed and desk was all mirrors. There was a short bar covering some of them, but the rest remained untouched. The floor immediately in front of the mirrors was hardwood, just like a dance studio.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Drew noticed my tears before I did. "If there's anything you want to change, or if it's too much-" I cut him off, shaking my head.

"This is more than I've ever had," my voice shook. Even when both of my parents were alive, Avery and I had to share a cramped room. Between supporting three girls and Brianna's medical bills, we just didn't have the money.

"Well, we hope it's everything you've always wanted," Rick smiled, pulling me into a hug. I wiped some of the tears away, a little embarrassed that I couldn't hold myself together.

"The mirrors without the bar on them open for your closet," Drew explained. "We can fit some more drawers in there if you need them. Also, Nina gave us your clothing size so we could pick some new clothes up for you." I must have looked horrified at the thought of Drew and Rick picking out clothes for me, because he quickly added, "Don't worry, I was on skype with Brianna the entire time. She approved everything, so yell at her." We all laughed at that.

"Can I see her room?" I asked shyly.

"Yeah, in a few days, when Bri comes home," Rick smiled. I rolled my eyes.

"You're no fun," I complained. I was sure they put as much effort into Bri's room as they did mine, and that alone made my heart smile. After struggling for so long, she was finally getting the life she deserved.

* * *

"Bri, I can't believe you picked out so many dresses," I complained. Drew helped me set up Skype on my laptop, and gave me Bri's account information. They went downstairs to give me some time to move myself in, and I called her almost immediately.

"You look cute in dresses," she defended. "You can always wear leggings with them."

"True," I smirked. "What do you think about this outfit?" I showed her. I had on a pair of skinny jeans with one of the nicer tops Bri picked out. It was a little florally for my taste, but with a pair of boots I could spice it up.

"Sexy," she chuckled as Jocelyn walked in to check her vitals. I couldn't help but laugh at Jocelyn's facial expression.

"I don't even want to know what you two are talking about," she shook her head.

"Just clothing options," I smiled, and winked at Brianna who had the thermometer in her mouth.

"How do you like your new home?" Jocelyn asked, still poking at Brianna.

"It's amazing. Drew and Rick must have worked really hard on our bedrooms," I acknowledged. Jocelyn smiled.

"They watched a little too much HGTV in preparation, I think," Jocelyn teased. Brianna nodded. "I hope you two know how much you have those boys wrapped around your finger," Jocelyn turned serious. "They really love you."

"I know," I smiled. I loved them too.


	11. One Dad, Two Dads, Whose Dad, Andre?

ONE DAD, TWO DADS, WHO'S DAD, ANDRE?

Things were going so well, it shouldn't have come as a surprise to me when the other shoe dropped, but it did.

"I don't understand how this could be happening," I mumbled, trying to quickly wipe a tear from my eye. I was so damn frustrated.

"This isn't something we could have seen coming, sweetie. If it was, I would have told you," Nina tried to comfort.

"He's not her dad!" I yelled. "He's not! Our dad is dead," I asserted.

"I know, sweetie," Nina tried again. We were sitting in my bedroom at Laura and Gregory's, Nina's hand on mine as she tried to explain to me that Brianna's adoption was being postponed. Drew and Rick were going to be able to sign my papers and adopt me tomorrow, but because some asshole decided he was going to play daddy, they couldn't adopt Brianna at the same time. CPS now had to investigate whether or not this douchebag had any rights to Brianna.

"What does it say on her birth certificate? It says Jacob Matthews, right? That's our dad," I tried to fight.

"Yours says Jacob Matthews," Nina promised. "There is another name on Brianna's," she admitted. My eyes widened.

"That's not true," I argued. "You're lying!"

"Liv, I'm not, I'm so sorry," she apologized. "Brianna's adoption will not go through until we know for sure whether or not Brianna's dad-"

"He's _not_ her dad," I growled like I was some animal.

"Whoever he is," Nina corrected. "Until we know for sure whether or not he has parental rights to Brianna, her case cannot move forward."

"Can you please leave?" I said, trying to be polite. My manners were wearing thin, however.

"Liv," Nina sighed. "You are still going to be able to move in with Rick and Drew tomorrow, and you're going to be adopted. Nothing is going to change with that."

"Except my sister is going to end up living with some stranger!" I yelled again. "And everyone I know is a fucking liar!"

"We didn't lie, we just didn't know," Nina said calmly. She was used to explosions like this one.

"I don't want to talk to you right now," I said quietly again. "I just want to go to bed."

"It's barely 7:00, Liv," Nina sighed.

"Please just leave me alone," I requested again. Nina squeezed my hand and started to walk to the door. Before she left, I asked her one last question.

"How did Brianna take this?" Nina turned back around to me sadly.

"About the same," Nina nodded. "She feels like she's being lied to, and she's hurting. It might help you both if you're able to call her and talk to her. She is meeting Justin tonight."

"Do you think my dad knew?" I asked her. Nina sighed.

"I didn't know your dad, honey," she apologized. "But I'm sure even if he did know, he only wanted to keep this from you because he loved you."

"Whatever," I turned on my bed so I was facing the wall. I was downright pissed, and nothing was going to change that tonight.

We were supposed to be adopted tomorrow. We were supposed to go home tomorrow. We were supposed to be a family tomorrow. Fuck Justin.

* * *

"Are you all packed up?" Gregory asked me. He and Laura were driving me to the courthouse – they wanted to be there to support me, although I wasn't giving them a good reason to anymore. Nina, Drew, and Rick were meeting us there – without Brianna. I didn't answer Gregory, I just nodded.

"This is supposed to be a happy day for you, Olivia," Laura emphasized, trying to build some moral. "You're allowed to be happy."

"It doesn't seem like it," I mumbled, hauling my new suitcase down the stairs and ignoring everyone else. I just wanted to get this over with so I could see Brianna. Happy wasn't really the emotion I would tie to it all.

"I'm sure your sister would want you to enjoy today," Laura mentioned. I glared at her. She was trying too hard, as usual.

"Bye, Livvy," Jeffrey hugged me before I got in the car. "It was nice having a sister for a little while."

"I'll always be your sister, Jeffrey," I did fake a smile for him. He didn't deserve my hostility. "Just give me a call if you need me, okay?" I saw Laura and Gregory glance at each other happily.

"Bye, Liv," Nathan gave an awkward hug. "You were pretty chill, for a foster sister," he held out a fist and I bumped it. "I hope you enjoy your new home."

"Thanks, bruh," I exploded the fist. "Good luck in high school this year."

"Thanks," Nathan nodded. I sighed and got into the car. I would have time to say goodbye to Laura and Gregory later.

* * *

The ride to the courthouse was quiet, but I didn't mind it. I still couldn't get over the fact that Brianna had a different dad, and we weren't going to be adopted together. It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair the universe just couldn't let us be happy.

"We're here, Liv," Laura cheered when we pulled up to the courthouse. I looked up to see Nina waiting for us outside. She saw us and smiled.

"It's almost go time, are you ready?" Nina hugged me. She was far too chipper for me.

"Olivia woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning," Gregory whispered to Nina, thinking I wouldn't hear. I rolled my eyes, only to be chastised by Laura.

"Don't be disrespectful," she said.

"Let's just get this over with," I groaned, and walked past all of them into the courthouse.

* * *

"Livvy!" A voice cheered and ran into me. I was shocked, as I wasn't expecting to see Brianna here.

"What are you doing here?" I asked her, pulling her into a hug. She looked tired, but healthy. Drew and Rick were walking behind her, laughing.

"I'm getting adopted with you today! They vanquished the evil Justin!" Bri cheered. I couldn't help but laugh too at this point. Her energy was contagious. "I went home with Drew and Rick last night – well, early this morning, - after everything was figured out and we got cleared."

"How did that happen?" I asked, mostly to Drew and Rick. By this time, Nina, Laura, and Gregory had come up behind us as well.

"Let's just say Justin's intentions weren't all that well intended," Rick explained. "It doesn't matter now. What matters is we're going to be a family."

"Did you know?" Bri asked me quietly. "That Justin was my dad?"

"He might be your biological father, but he isn't your dad," I corrected her. "Whatever happened, and whatever lies were told, they were so Jacob Matthews could be your dad in your eyes. He raised you and he died for you. Justin did nothing of the sort."

"So you had no idea?" Bri asked. I shook my head.

"I nearly ripped Nina's head off last night when she told me," I glanced at Nina who nodded. I felt a little bad, but I still felt my reaction was appropriate.

"Is he your biological father, too?" I shook my head.

"No way in hell," I told her. Immediately after, a man came out and announced that the judge was ready for us. Nina, Drew, Rick, Bri, myself, and the family lawyers all filed into the judge's chambers.

"This is it," I whispered, holding Bri's hand.

"This is it," she whispered back, squeezing.

* * *

"Olivia Alister-Lincoln, and Brianna Alister-Lincoln – they both have a certain ring to it, I think," Topher teased. After the hearing, I said goodbye to Laura and Gregory, we transferred my suitcase to the truck, and we headed back home. Bri was thrilled to see my room, and I was happy to see hers as well. I was right – they put just as much effort into her space as they did mine. I was grateful.

Around 3:00, friends and family started showing up. A lot of doctors and nurses from the hospital came to our "gotcha party," per Brianna's request. I was familiar with a few people from the ER, but didn't know nearly as many people as Brianna. She ran around quickly introducing me to everyone. Topher was the head of the ER, and had three young daughters himself, one who was around Brianna's age.

I looked around, trying not to get overwhelmed with the amount of people that were here, and decided instead to take a break inside. Brianna was a social person. I, on the other hand, liked my space.

"I thought I'd find you in here," a familiar voice said. I perked up immediately. "You've got a nice place here, _Principessa_."

"What are you doing here?" I ran and jumped into his arms. Andre was my boyfriend of two years who spent the summer in Italy with his family. I had barely been able to get in contact with him to talk for five minutes, never mind being able to fill him in on everything that happened. He knew a few of the major details – I called him right after Avery died and Brianna got diagnosed – but I wasn't sure how much he knew about all of the other drama.

"Brianna stalked me on Skype," he chuckled. "She filled me in and invited me. I flew home just for you."

"I'm sorry I haven't been able to fill you in more," I told him. "Things have been moving really fast and you know, the time difference doesn't help."

"I'm just glad you're okay," he hugged me. "Brianna told me you were being stupid for a while."

"Of course she did," I chuckled. "You know, she still has a crush on you, I think," I smiled. Andre shrugged.

"It comes with being this gorgeous," he teased. "Don't worry, I won't ditch you for your sister. She's a little young."

"She's way too young," I cautioned him.

"So, where are these new parents of yours?" He looked around. "Your dad is a doctor, right? And your other dad is…"

"He's an officer on SWAT San Antonio," I explained. Andre's eyes widened.

"They're both army too, so be on your best behavior," I warned him, chuckling. My dad was dead before Andre and I started dating, and my mom was barely in the picture at that point. The only people he really had to worry about before were Brianna and Avery, but he won them over quickly. Meeting two army officers, however, was a little more intimidating for him apparently.

"If you can win over Brianna, you can win over my dads," I smiled, purposefully using 'my dads' for the first time.

"Should be interesting," he nodded. I pulled him over to where Rick and Drew were standing. Thankfully, Bri was there with them as well, having moved on from Topher.

* * *

"Andre," Brianna squinted and glared when she saw him walk over. I gave her a look.

"Come on, _farfalla_ , I know you missed me," he gave his signature smile, and walked over to where Brianna was sitting on the ground. "What are you playing with? Dirt?"

"It's tick tack toe, actually, you uncultured swine," she teased him. I rolled my eyes.

"Who's this?" Drew pointed at the teenage boy that was now playing tick-tack-toe in the dirt with my sister. I chuckled.

"This is Andre," I introduced as Andre actually stood up and dusted himself off. "Brianna seemed to have invited him without my knowledge," I poked at her, "and so I thought I'd introduce you since he ended his vacation early to be here today."

"Sirs," Andre said, shaking both Drew and Rick's hands. My heart was in my throat, waiting for something to go wrong. I quickly realized I wasn't ready for this. I don't think I ever even told Drew or Rick I had a boyfriend.

"So, are you a friend…?" Rick questioned, looking between me and Andre. Brianna laughed from below.

"He's her boyfriend!" She jumped up. "They've been dating for two years. Don't worry," Brianna explained, inserting herself into the conversation. "I already interrogated him and approved. You don't have to go all army badass on him. He seems to be a good one," Brianna glared at him again.

"I'm glad I have your approval, Miss Brianna," Andre bowed. Brianna bowed back. They were so weird.

"I would have given you a heads up if I knew he was going to be here," I promised my new parental units. "I didn't mean to blindside you."

"It's okay, we're glad you introduced us," Drew acknowledged. "Did you get something to eat, Andre?" He asked.

"I did, thank you," Andre answered. "I grabbed a slice of pizza when I dropped off some garlic knots at my mother's request."

"You brought your mom's garlic knots and you didn't tell me?" I shoved him. Drew and Rick chuckled. "His parents own an Italian restaurant on Evers Road. His mom is an amazing cook."

"We'll have to visit sometime," Rick smirked. "Are your parents in town?"

"Yes, they flew back with me in case Liv needed them for anything," Andre explained. I was grateful he didn't mention they had become surrogate parents to me over the past two years. They were going to be critical enough of Drew and Rick as two men raising two young women, I didn't need them to know of the added competition.

"They're super nice," Bri smiled. "They let us have free food at the restaurant."

"Bri," I shushed her. They did it as a favor. They knew we never had very much.

"Can I show Andre my new bedroom?" Bri asked, looking for my permission to steal my boyfriend. I laughed.

"Yes, of course," I smiled. Once they disappeared, I turned back to Drew and Rick, looking to them for their sign of approval.

"He seems okay," Drew shrugged. "Brianna likes him, anyways."

"Brianna likes to steal him," I corrected, laughing. "She likes to mess with him."

"We should invite his family over for dinner sometime," Rick offered. "I'd like to get to know him a little better when we aren't being bombarded by guests."

"He wants to get to know you guys, too," I emphasized. "He's a great guy, I promise."

"We believe you," Drew defended, putting his arms up. "We are just your dads now, and so we're going to take our time before we let him loose with our girl."

"Oh my God," I groaned.

"Oh yeah, we're going all the way with this one," Rick chuckled. "I might even bring out my guns."

"Please don't," I begged them.

"Don't worry," Drew said. "I'm sure meeting Brianna for the first time was way scarier than anything we will put him through," he joked, and we all laughed, knowing how true that was.


	12. Meet the Parents

I met Andre when I was a freshman in high school. We sang in the chorus together, and eventually, he found out (from Brianna, of course) that I knew how to ballroom dance. He was convinced he was the only one in the school who took lessons, and when he found out about me, he practically forced me to be his partner. He convinced the owner of the studio to put me on a scholarship, and what started as a professional partnership turned into young love.

He comes from an international family and is going to be the first in his family to go to college. He was born in Italy and moved here when he was five. His mother was originally from Sicily, but met Andre's father on a trip to Rome when she was a teenager. She never returned home and married Pio six months later. A year later, Andre was born.

"Do you think they'll have Manicotti?" Brianna asked, breaking my train of thought. I looked over at her and nodded. Lucia _always_ had Manicotti for Brianna.

"Just…behave, please," I begged Brianna. I was more nervous than I expected to be.

 _You warned your parents, right?_ I texted Andre. He responded almost instantly.

 _Of course. Everything is gonna be fine_. I took a deep breath.

"What has you so worked up?" Rick asked, looking through the side mirror. He could probably feel my knee bouncing nervously against his chair, too.

"Lucia and Pio are very…traditional," I explained slowly, hoping I wouldn't have to spell it out. I didn't want to make Drew or Rick uncomfortable, but I wanted them to be prepared.

"They don't think we should be raising girls," Drew concluded. I nodded.

"Yeah, that's about it," I confirmed. "Let's put it this way, they were both raised strictly Catholic without any wiggle room. They grew up knowing one way of life, and are having trouble adjusting, even to the different cultures and flavors of San Antonio. They're very respectful and I doubt they'd say anything, just…don't be surprised if it comes up," I quieted at the end.

"We had a gypsy scare last year," Brianna added. I widened my eyes at her. I could not believe she said that.

"A _what_ scare?" Rick chuckled.

"A gypsy scare. Someone came into the restaurant who Lucia thought was a gypsy, and she pulled out her rosary and started praying, right in front of everyone. She didn't stop until the woman left," Brianna explained. I rolled my eyes. _Great, now they're going to think Andre's parents are crazy.  
_

"Look, they're normal people, just like you guys. They're going to be protective because they know how badly we need parents who care about us. Prove to them what you've already proved to me, and you'll be fine," I encouraged.

* * *

" _Ciao, carissimi!_ " Lucia called as soon as we walked into the restaurant. Andre was there waiting with his mother, and just shook his head and followed her. She pulled me into a tight hug that reminded me of when my grandmother was still alive.

"Ma, you're gonna suffocate her," Andre shook his head before Lucia moved onto Brianna, saving me.

"Too tight," Brianna choked, and Andre placed his hands on Lucia's shoulders and moved her away.

"I missed you two! Oh, Brianna, you're so big!" She gasped. I couldn't help but chuckle. "How are you two? Are these your papas?" She asked when she finally noticed Drew and Rick standing behind us.

"Yeah, Lucia, this is Drew," I pointed towards Drew, "and this is Rick," I introduced. Each of them extended their hand, but Lucia completely ignored them.

"Put your hands away, I'm a hugger," Lucia scolded. Andre pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Ma, they're military," He sighed. "Just shake their hands."

"It's fine, I warned them," I whispered to him. He nodded.

"It's nice to see you again, sirs," Andre shook their hands.

"What, no hug from you?" Drew teased. My eyes widened, and Brianna burst out laughing. Rick looked as horrified as I felt.

"Looks like we both have incredibly embarrassing parents," I whispered to Andre, who looked like a deer in headlights.

"I think a handshake will suffice, Andre," Rick saved him, glaring at Drew. Drew shrugged.

"My husband, Pio, has reserved a table for us all. The restaurant won't open until after we're done so we can have some privacy and not worry about being pulled away. Our chef is making Manicotti," Lucia explained, and I grinned at Brianna. "Andre, why don't you show them to the table?" She directed before walking off, probably to find Pio.

"Right this way," he pointed and took my hand as he led the group to a quieter corner of the restaurant.

"My parents will be with us shortly, don't worry," Andre said as we all sat down. I knew he said that more for me than for my parents. He was playing with my hand under the table, nonverbally telling me to calm down.

"So, tell me something about you, Andre," Rick began after a few moments of awkward silence. Brianna was devouring the menu and I was too nervous to speak.

"Well, I met Olivia through school, as I'm sure she's told you," Andre eyed me, and I nodded. I gave Drew and Rick the run down last night. "We hit it off right away. One thing led to another, and you know, young love and all that," he charmed. I rolled my eyes.

"Don't let him fool you – I made him work for it," I winked. Brianna gagged, earning chuckles from around the table.

"Of course she did," Drew added. "She made us work for her too. We're still figuring out if we've made the cut or not."

"She's got a tough exterior, but don't let her fool you," Andre smiled. "She's a teddy bear on the inside," he nudged. I glared at him.

"You're giving away all my secrets," I whispered, looking up at where Lucia and Pio were walking over. I stood up to greet Pio.

"Ciao, bella," he said as he kissed my cheek and sat down.

"I brought bread," Lucia smiled as she took her seat next to Pio.

"These must be the papas," Pio grinned. "It's a pleasure to meet you two. You can't imagine how happy we are to see these two ladies end up in a stable home. Andre said nothing but good things after the party last week," he explained. I looked over at Andre. He shrugged. This was going better than I expected it to.

"You've been living together for what, a week now?" Lucia asked, placing a piece of bread on my plate. She knew I wouldn't take it if she didn't give it to me. I tried to stay away from carbs.

"Olivia came to stay with us about two and a half weeks ago, actually," Rick explained. "Brianna came a few days later, so a little over a week, I guess."

"How is it, with two girls?" Lucia smirked. "My mother, _Dio la benedica_ , raised three daughters. It was a _nightmare_."

"Luckily we're still in the honeymoon phase," Drew smiled.

"I got lucky with my Andre," Lucia pinched his shoulder, smiling. "He's an angel. We wanted more, but I suppose it was God's will."

"What do you two do for a living? Andre said one of you was a doctor?" Pio asked.

"That would be me," Drew answered. "I work as an emergency physician at San Antonio Memorial."

"Such wonderful work," Lucia commented. "And you, Rick?"

"I work with San Antonio SWAT," he answered sheepishly. Lucia glanced at Pio. I knew that look. Rick was in trouble now.

"Isn't that dangerous?" Lucia asked.

"I'm very good at what I do, ma'am," Rick answered. "I want nothing more than to come home to my family every day."

"And what happens when you don't?" She grilled him.

"Ma," Andre warned, and I squeezed his hand harder.

"What?" Lucia turned on Andre. "Haven't these girls been through enough? They've already lost one father to violence, _mi Dio_."

"They've survived a war, Ma, I'm sure they can survive San Antonio," Andre argued.

"They've been very good to us, Lucia," I tried to dissolve the situation. "My dad died because he broke protocol and wasn't thinking," I explained. "Rick wouldn't do that. He's more by the book than anyone I know."

"I suppose," Lucia judged.

"Did Andre show you the pictures of our new bedrooms?" Brianna asked, finally looking up from the menu. Instantly, Lucia's mood changed.

"I did!" She smiled. "So many books! You're going to be a little genius!"

"Drew put all of his medical textbooks in there," Bri smiled like the little nerd she was. "I also have the entire Narnia collection now!"

"Molto bene!" Lucia cheered. She knew how much Brianna loved to read, especially during her treatments, and had even bought her a few books over the years.

"Livvy has her own mini dance studio in her room," Brianna bragged. Lucia looked like she was near tears.

"I have a barre," I shook my head. I didn't want the attention.

"You need it – you have tight hips," Lucia pointed out, and Andre groaned. I blushed, embarrassed. She turned to Rick and Drew, and took their hands.

"Thank you both so much for doing that for these ladies," she said sincerely. Pio nodded.

* * *

"Dinner was delicious, Lucia," I hugged her as we said goodbye. Drew and Rick were talking to Pio, and Brianna was bothering Andre. Lucia pulled me to the side to talk, and I had a feeling I knew what this was going to be about.

"Of course it was," she smiled, pinching my cheek. "So, really, you're okay?" She asked.

"I'm amazing, Lucia," I smiled. "I'm in a really good place right now."

"I'm so sorry we didn't make it to Avery's funeral," Lucia shook her head. "You should have called us."

"It wasn't much of a funeral," I admitted. "She didn't want anything big, and we really didn't have the money. She would have wanted you to stay in Italy," I told her. "She's like me – she doesn't want to make anything a production."

"You deserve a production, Olivia," Lucia pointed. "Drew and Rick, they're good for you?"

"They're wonderful for us," I squeezed her hands. "They're taking amazing care of us, and they might have you beat with how overprotective they are," I smiled.

"And if you need anything," Lucia suggested.

"You're my first call," I promised.

" _Ti amo_ ," Lucia said, kissing my cheek.

"Thank you so much, Lucia," I kissed her cheek as well, and we joined the rest of the group.

"You've raised a nice young man," Rick commented, hugging Lucia and shaking Pio's hand.

"I appreciate that," Pio nodded. "You've got some wonderful children yourself."


End file.
